Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine

by Tsultrim Allione

Through her own story of loss and spiritual seeking, paired with mandala meditations and rituals, bestselling author of Feeding Your Demons Lama Tsultrium Allione teaches you how to embody the enlightened, fierce power of the sacred feminine—the tantric dakinis.Ordained as one of the first Western Buddhist nuns and recognized as a reincarnation of a renowned eleventh century Tibetan yogini, Lama Tsultrim nonetheless yearned to become a mother, ultimately renouncing her vows so she could marry and have children. When she subsequently lost a child to SIDS, she found courage again in female Buddhist role models, and discovered a way to transform her pain into a path forward. Through Lama Tsultrim’s story of loss and spiritual seeking, paired with her many years of expertise in mandala meditation, you will learn how to strengthen yourself by following this experiential journey to Tantric Buddhist practice. The mandala was developed as a tool for spiritual transformation, and as you harness its power, it can serve as a guide to wholeness. With knowledge of the mandala of the five dakinis (female Buddhist deities who embody wisdom), you’ll understand how to embrace the distinct energies of your own nature. In Wisdom Rising, Lama Tsultrim shares from a deep trove of personal experiences as well as decades of sacred knowledge to invite you to explore an ancient yet accessible path to the ability to shift your emotional challenges into empowerment. Her unique perspective on female strength and enlightenment will guide you as you restore your inner spirit, leading you toward the change you aspire to create in the world.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality, Feminism, Nonfiction, Memoir, Meditation, Personal Development

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2018

About the author

Born in 1947 as Joan Rousmaniere Ewing, Lama Tsultrim was raised by her parents, James Ewing, a small-town New England newspaper publisher, and Ruth D. Ewing, a labor mediator. Her maternal grandparents both received PhD. degrees in philosophy at Harvard University. Her grandmother was the fifth women in history to receive a PhD. from Harvard. This same grandmother, Frances R. Dewing, gave Lama Tsultrim her first book on Buddhism when she was only fifteen years old, planting a seed that would come to fruition in a life devoted to Buddhist teachings. Her paternal grandfather was Oscar Ewing, a lawyer and politician who, as a cabinet member under President Truman, sought universal health care, but due to the political climate had to settle for what became Medicare.

Lama Tsultrim grew up in Maine and New Hampshire with her older sister, Carolyn, and younger brother, Thomas. At nineteen, in 1967, having read every book available at the time about Tibet, she traveled to Nepal and India with her college friend, now filmmaker, Victress Hitchcock, who created the film Blessings and When the Iron Bird Flies.

At the age of 22, on the full moon of January 1970 in Bodhgaya, India, she was ordained as Karma Tsultrim Chödron by the 16th Karmapa, Rigpai Dorje, along with the four main reincarnate tulkus: H.E. Tai Situ, H.E. Jamgon Kongtul, H.E. Gyaltsap Rinpoche, and H.E. Sharmar Rinpoche as her witnesses. She was the first American ordained by H.H. Karmapa and he became her root Lama.

For more details
http://taramandala.org/about/lama-tsu...

Reviews

[JP · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to this book from Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict; I was not disappointed. The information and tools Lama Tsultrim Allione provides will be of value to anyone looking to examine and transform five vital forces present in our lives. She provides access to teachings and practices that would normally be hard to come by.

[C. Varn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is another of Lama Tsultrim Allione's modernist tinged explorations of Tibetan Buddhist practices. This one alienates some people with its feminism, but I actually like that element of the book. Furthermore, while Lama Tsultrim Allione continues her mixing of esoteric Buddhism with highly psychological and therapeutic Jungian conceptions. Her discussion of the symbolism of the five Buddha families particularly in their Dakini and feminine aspects, however, is quite interesting. It does also incorporate a lot of Lama Tsultrim Allione's autobiography to render the Buddha families' relevant and make the mandala meaningful, but I retain my reservations about reading Chod practices in Jungian terms.

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm very interested in magic and ritual across different cultures and religions, and this book was fascinating. Being surprisingly "witchy," it is what I consider to be a rare find amidst the sea of more mainstream Buddhist practice books that are sanitized for more secular (i.e. less "woo woo") tastes. It also feels like a very personal look into an individual woman's Buddhist journey and practice. I highly recommend it.

[Robin Currie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank You!

Very informative and relatable. The author reveals ancient prinicples. These ancient principles are alive within each of us. It is time to access our divine nature. This book will help you cut through the fog and stand strong in your own wisdom.

[Myridian · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I typically come away from both sutras and also this book just thinking Buddhism is weird. I do wonder if this is a personal limitation exacerbated by the unfamiliarity of Eastern symbolism.

I did like the practical nature of this book. As someone who practices mindfulness daily, I appreciated the number of different exercises and variants of how to approach practicing with Dakinis. It was also fascinating to learn about female symbolism within Tantric Buddhism.

There were a number of things I did not resonate with. I could have done without the whole first portion that talked about Allione’s journey into Buddhism and struggles finding her specific spiritual path. Plus quoting yourself and your other books as liberally as Allione does seems like cheating. At the same time, I wondered if I had missed out by not reading Allione’s previous books. I was interested in where these Dakini images came from. Allione never mentions the similarity in the portrayal of the Dakinis to images of Kali. Without some recognition and comparison it’s hard to buy that all of the destructive facets of the Dakinis really refer to cutting away of delusion and brining about enlightenment. I mean, they’re standing on a dead body after all.

Allione also states explicitly near the start that the Dakinis aren’t meant to seem like enneagrams, but they do. Really, certain people are supposed to be represented not only by certain qualities, but by specific body types and preferences for things like big jewelry? We seem to be entering horoscope territory. Ok, and yes, I can see that we all contain aspects of these different qualities, but to categorize these things together and then present it without any apparent scrutiny or placement in a societal or historical context left me wanting something different.

Altogether a nice collection of meditations, some of which I will come back to, but not really satisfying my itch for a feminist approach to Buddhism.

[kat f. · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a lovely read!! recommended by my therapist hehe ~ ~ diving into world of the wisdom dakinis felt so sweet & hopeful. the book includes loads of mindfulness practices, and tangible ways to transform emotional patterns into something more manageable (and wise) and less cumbersome (and embarrassing?)

loved it! :-)

[Joanna Pollner stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allion is a phenomenal Teacher , many believe Buddhism represent none emotional path. Wisdom Rising comprehensively emulates all facets of emotions and paves a way by utilizing emotions towards inner freedom.

[Milena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of wisdom on a path unknown to me. Helped me through some difficult times and showed me another way forward.

[Betsy Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful a d understandable book into the double edged swords of the dikini family attributes

Insightful and understandable book into the functional & dysfunctional energies of dikini family attributes & how these manifest in our everyday lives. Could have done without the political commentary. Would have preferred a look into the dynamics of how each if us, regardless of position, bring energies & choices that impact our quality of life universally - allowing space for each of us to freely, without having to work thru judgment energies, examine how our personal energies and choices do indeed impact all existence. I do highly recommend the book. Excellent breakdown of the dikini's, and practical - everyday, guidance for meaningful introspection and growth.

[Jessica Arena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful introductory. Very accessible and entertaining. Lama Tsultrim Allione's life is incredible and I appreciated her candid sharing of her experiences to illustrate some of the concepts. My only complaint is that I'd like a little bit more detail on the dakinis. Maybe that's more appropriate in a sequel?

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part memoir, part Buddhist theory, Allione shares the story of her life, being a nun, motherhood, what broke her apart, her search, and of course, the diferent mandalas of the dakini and how to embrace and utilize them.

[Elizabeth Traver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read for any vajrayana Buddhist. If you’re looking for something more akin to Mahayana or Theravada, more discipline practices like the Four Noble Truths or the Eightfold Path or any of the other many lists, this may not be a great fit.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit more 'deep' than I thought it would be and not for my mindset at the present time.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Jessica Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating book! Such an in-depth dive into the feminine with Buddhism. I’ve been listening to her Dakini Meditation which takes the book to another level - inside me! Amazing!

[Reena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, insightful book and the Dakinis of Mahayana Buddhism. An interior spiraling journey of a book.